Indigo-dyed men himo available in a variety of grades and lengths. The standard style are simple indigo colored cotton himo that do not bleed excessively. Ume and above use genuine aizome dye and do bleed their color and fade naturally. As you go up in grade so does the thickness of the himo and quality of the dye increase. The Ten grade himo are made of silk and dyed extensively using the finest aizome available from the Bushu region of Japan.
For tying your himo using low style chichikawa you will want to sue 7 shaku length himo, or 6 shaku if you are a junior practitioner. For those who prefer to sue the high tying style you will need the 8 shaku length.